Nicodemus Redus Part II
by Truly
Summary: Lex/Lana and what if that flower showed up again.


Title: Nicodemus Redux Rating: PG Summary: Lex and Lana, of course, and what if that nasty little plant sort of turned up again. Spoilers: None. This actually was written before the tornado, so in it Lionel is not blind and Hamilton is still working with Lex.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own this, characters are owned by WB blah blah blah  
  
**This is for Tracie, the best editor, because she asked for L/L to be together.**  
  
  
  
****************Part 2  
  
Thursday - 7AM  
  
Lana scanned the contents of her closet once more and told herself again that she had to make a decision and just pick something. But she had been standing in front of her wardrobe for almost 20 minutes now and she still couldn't decide.  
  
"Everything is pastel," she murmured. Well, not everything, the black pants worked okay. They were probably not too school appropriate, but at this point, she didn't really care. She liked them and she was wearing them.  
  
Nell. Her aunt's name popped unbidden in to Lana's head. Surely, Nell would have something that she could borrow and then later, she would just go shopping. Of course, she hadn't done too well with shopping in the past, just look at what was hanging in her closet right now. "I'll just have to buy the things I really want and not settle for what everyone expects me to wear," she said defiantly to no one in particular.  
  
Nell did have just the thing, a cropped, v-neck, black sweater with long, flared sleeves and it went perfectly with the spike-heeled boots that she'd also borrowed.  
  
"Nell, I borrowed a few things from you, okay?" Lana yelled over her shoulder as she raced out the door.  
  
  
  
Clark and Chloe were working Pete Ross' last nerve. They were arguing, again, about something that Pete totally tuned out. Well, at least, they were talking he tried to tell himself, but he was getting tired of this. After last year's Spring Formal when Clark had run off, thinking that Lana was in trouble, and had left his date, Chloe, things between the roving reporter and her friend slash object of affection had been pretty tense. Of course, since Lana had been in serious, life-threatening trouble, Chloe had a hard time holding it against Clark. That didn't stop her from trying though.  
  
To Pete's thinking, it was pointless for Chloe to be mad at Clark because he was hung up on Lana Lang. Clark had had that jones since like the 5th grade and it hadn't gone away yet. Of course, first there was Whitney standing between them and then, lots of other obstacles got in the way. For the sake of her own sanity, Chloe really needed to let it go.  
  
"Pete?" Clark called again, trying to get his attention.  
  
"What?" Pete snapped out of his reverie on the complicated love lives of his friends. "Oh yeah, the concert on Friday, whatever you two say, I'm hosed this week anyway, no date." He wasn't too thrilled to be flying solo, but hanging out with Chloe and Clark wouldn't be too bad as long as they chilled out.  
  
"Ha, what? Look at Lana, Ms. Drama Queen," Chloe pointed behind Clark and Pete.  
  
Clark swung around; his eyes widening as he saw Lana Lang saunter down the hallway of Smallville High. Black was not a color anyone usually saw on Lana and he wasn't the only who was staring at the unusual sight.  
  
"Hey Lana, what's up with the whole, Queen of Darkness look," Chloe jokingly inquired.  
  
"Nothing Chloe, I just wanted to try something different." Lana blushed slightly at the obvious attention that she was receiving from her classmates.  
  
"Different than what?" Chloe wondered.  
  
"Than pastels," Lana replied and shot Clark a glance through her thick, mascara-covered lashes. "Clark, it's okay, right? I mean, it isn't as bad as Chloe makes out, is it?" she sounded a little uncertain.  
  
Ever the gentleman, Clark hastened to reassure her. "N-n-n-nnooo. I think that your outfit is great, good . uh, I mean, fine. It's t-t-totally fine," he stammered, not taking his eyes from Lana's.  
  
"Thanks, Clark, you're so sweet." She bit her lip as he blushed at her compliment. Lana waved as she turned down the hallway leading to her first class of the day. She cast one, last glance over her shoulder at Clark, who she knew was still standing in the same spot, staring at her. She gifted the besotted, young man with a hint of a smile and wiggled her fingers at him as Chloe tugged at his sleeve.  
  
Clark really is nice, Lana thought as she took her seat in Mrs. Hagard's AP Calc class. He was also a cutie, so tall and he had those big, broad shoulders. Of course, he needed some work. The plaid shirts that he always wore needed to go. Secretly, she hated them. She ignored Mrs. Hagard's screechy voice and ran through some items of clothing that Clark Kent would look really good in.  
  
A black silk suit paired with a stark, white shirt and a black and gray tie would be good. If Clark would only dress like Lex, then that would be perfect. Lex was always so beautifully dressed. Sometimes she wondered if someone dressed him each morning, but today that brought a new and different thought and Lana found herself wondering if someone undressed him at night.  
  
"Hmmmm," Lana murmured, barely noticing the boy sitting next to her gazing with rapt fascination at her parted lips.  
  
  
  
Lex sipped his coffee and glanced around The Talon, mentally calculating how much each customer was spending and wondering if it was time to see about raising prices. Business was good and steady and growing at a decent rate, so he wasn't too worried, but still you had to keep things moving forward if you wanted to succeed.  
  
And success was the plan, total and complete success. He let his thoughts drift back to the small, white box that he had locked carefully in the safe last night. It would get him just what he wanted, Cadmus Labs. All he had to do was make sure that Lionel used it at just the right time, and then, let him dig his own grave while Lex waited to throw the last handful of dirt.  
  
"Contemplating how much you're making off each person here?" Lana smiled coquettishly and eased into the chair opposite her employer at the small table.  
  
Lex focused on Lana and returned her smile. He found it amusing that in his house, she was so timid and unsure, but here she was poised and confident because she obviously felt safe.  
  
"Nope, already figured that out. I was just wondering if we were undercutting ourselves and needed to raise prices." He leaned in toward her and whispered the last, few words. Better that the customers didn't overhear that.  
  
Lana did the last thing that he expected her to. She leaned in toward him and lowered her voice conspiratorially, "Well, we could do that if The Beanery was no longer in business. But since they're still squeaking by, we'd better just let it go for a while. Don't you think, boss?"  
  
"Point taken. After all, we don't want to help out the competition, do we?" Lex watched her fingers as they drew small circles on the tabletop, but glanced back up when she let out a throaty sigh.  
  
"We could always find a way to close down The Beanery . . . permanently," she suggested, then leaned back in her chair to watch his reaction. She knew he would think that she was being funny, so she schooled her features into a mask of perfect seriousness.  
  
Lex knew that she was joking, Lana would never resort to anything underhanded. He would, of course, but not Lana. As he studied her face, suddenly, he wasn't so sure. She appeared to be serious. Her eyes were hooded and her lips were slightly parted and she was watching him intently.  
  
"You're kidding. Right, Lana? I mean, that seems a little ." Lex hesitated searching for the phrase he wanted, "out of character for you."  
  
Lana wanted to break out in giggles; she loved this. Lex didn't know what to think of her right now and she knew that she was being as cool and mysterious as he always was. "Out of character? Hmmm, I guess maybe you're right." And then, not being able to control herself any longer, she started to laugh.  
  
Lex let out the breath that he'd been holding and laughed with her. Lana had really thrown him for a few minutes. He hadn't known what to think of her remarks or how to take them. This easygoing Lana was different and much harder for him to read.  
  
Lana wiped a tear away from the corner of her eye as she studied Lex, who for once looked relaxed and comfortable. Usually, he was on the phone directing someone to do something or whirling in and out like a tornado. This was much nicer, sitting and talking, joking and laughing.  
  
"Lex, I was thinking that it might be a good idea to go and hear some of the bands in Metropolis some time," Lana felt the words slip out before she could even grasp their form. She really hadn't meant to say that out loud, even if she had thought it.  
  
"I agree. You should do that. Maybe Clark can go with you?" Lex replied, not quite sure where she was going with this.  
  
"That's a good idea . but I'm not sure if Clark will be able to go," she said quickly and stood up to escape. Lana picked up Lex's empty coffee mug and hurried away from the table. She knew Lex was watching her go; she could feel his eyes boring in to her back. He was probably wondering what in the world she was up to. Lana wasn't sure herself; she was still shocked that she had just blurted out her Metropolis idea.  
  
Lana filled Lex's cup again with the organic blend that was his favorite, added a little soy milk, and stirred it absent-mindedly. She thought about where that comment had come from.  
  
She admitted to herself that late last night she had been thinking about how fun it would be to go to Metropolis for a few days, stay in some fancy hotel, and hit the night spots to hear the bands, and yes, she had even imagined Lex's limousine pulling up outside those clubs and the two of them stepping out of it while everyone wondered who she was.  
  
But actually giving voice to her fantasy about Lex taking her to the city was insane.  
  
"Well, you didn't actually say that part out loud, so you're safe, right?" she asked herself.  
  
"Safe from what?" Lex asked her. He had watched her practically fly away from the table and hide behind the bar, stirring and stirring his coffee before it had actually hit him that she might have been asking him to take her to hear the bands in Metropolis.  
  
That thought had taken him by surprise and he replayed the conversation over and over again in his head. They had been joking and she had said that she thought it would be a good idea to go to hear some bands in Metropolis. But then, she had looked stunned and even more so when he had said that he concurred and suggested that Clark should go with her. So, what was going on?  
  
"Safe from what, Lana?" he asked again, stepping around her since she wouldn't turn to look at him. He blocked her against the bar so that she couldn't escape without squeezing right up against him and he knew she wouldn't do that. He knew it would intimidate her, but he did it anyway.  
  
"Safe? Did I say that out loud?" she tried to make a joke of it, but Lex wasn't playing along. He looked serious, deadly serious. "Safe . hmmm . safe from ." she just couldn't think of any answer that wouldn't sound completely and utterly stupid. Even in Nell's high-heeled boots, Lana had to tilt her head up to make eye contact with Lex, which she did nervously.  
  
So, tell him the truth, what's the worst that could happen, a little voice in the back of her head urged her.  
  
"Actually, Lex, I was thinking that you could take me to the city to see the bands, not Clark." She handed him the coffee mug as she made her declaration. She wanted to be smooth about it, just announce it in a breezy voice like it was no big thing. But then their fingers locked as he reached to take the mug from her and she couldn't do anything but catch her breath.  
  
Lex had been stunned very few times in the past, several years. He figured that growing up with Lionel had kept him perpetually on his toes, but Lana's announcement had taken him completely by surprise. If it hadn't, then the way her fingers slid along the mug handle to brush lightly against his would have surely done it.  
  
"Lana ." he started, but was so disconcerted that he had to stop and begin again. "Well . I . sure, I could do that, I guess, I'm just not sure.I mean, why?"  
  
Lana had to concentrate so that she didn't let out a triumphant whoop. She knew that she had pushed Lex off of his normal, carefully determined path, and secretly, she loved it and considered it to be a sort of payback for all of the times that he had done the same thing to her. Lex looked like someone had just told him that Clark could fly or something, but he didn't move his hand away from her's.  
  
"Well, I don't know Metropolis and you do and I don't think I can get into the clubs myself, even if I tell them why I'm there and you could get us in. Plus, I would need you to pay for it, so you might as well be there . right?" she finished a little breathlessly.  
  
She knew that her answer was a cop out and not what she had really wanted to say, but it was good enough and it was sort of the truth. She didn't tell him that she got a thrill just thinking of seeing Metropolis his way.  
  
Lex shook his hand free of the mug and grabbed it around the outside away from Lana's fingers. "You're right. That makes sense. We'll have to do that some time." He stepped away as he finished answering her, "I have to go to the city now for a few days. But when I get back, we can talk about it. Good idea," he reiterated, taking a sip of his too hot coffee and getting a burned tongue in the process.  
  
Lex had no intention of talking to Lana about this trip again. He figured that she would give it some thought and realize that it wasn't wise to go running off to the city with him and that would be that. If not, then Nell certainly wasn't going to let her go either. Maybe he should mention it to Clark just in case? Then, he could talk her out of it and that would be the end of it.  
  
After all of the raw emotions that Lana had stirred in him last year, standing right about here he realized with a jolt, he didn't want to be alone with her in the city and certainly not in a nightclub. He knew what those places did to a person. The lights were dim and the music was so loud and pounding that your heart kept pace with it. Warm, sweaty bodies pressed together, promising to give themselves. Every drunk on the prowl would zero in on innocent, little Lana immediately and they'd be all over her. Lex did not want to put Lana in that situation, nor did he want to play her hero.  
  
Lana watched the thoughts flit through Lex's expressive eyes and knew instantly that he was hoping to put her off indefinitely and make her forget about traveling to Metropolis with him. She stepped two paces towards him until their bodies were only inches apart. "Actually, that's good timing, why don't I go with you?" she queried.  
  
"Just like that?" Lex chortled with amusement at her impulsiveness.  
  
"Why not? All I have to do is pack a few things and tell Nell, then I'll be ready." She could see the wariness in his eyes, but was unwilling to let this go, ".we can get this over with now." 


End file.
